illegal use of steroids

Running Head : Illegal use of Steroids

Illegal use of Steroids

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Illegal use of Steroids

According to the Medical Dictionary of Medicinenet .com steroids are defined as A general class of chemical substances that are structurally related to one another and share the same chemical skeleton (a tetracyclic cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene skeleton

Encyclopedia Britannica Online defines them as Any of a class of natural or synthetic organic chemical compounds characterized by a molecular structure of 17 carbon

atoms arranged in four rings . In the parent structure (named gonane and referred to as the steroid nucleus , the carbon atoms are bonded to 28 hydrogen atoms

Another definition is provided by the Science and Technology Encyclopedia : Any of a group of organic compounds belonging to the general class of biochemicals called lipids , which are easily soluble in organic solvents and slightly soluble in water

Steroids defined above are organic compounds occurring naturally throughout both plant and animal kingdoms . They are fat soluble compounds (lipid ) that have a number of important functional roles . Their main characteristic is the carbon skeleton that has four fused rings . The functional groups of steroids are to the four rings . Numerous distinct steroids have been identified in plants , animals and fungi . All steroids are derived from sterols : lanosterol (animals and fungi ) or the sterol cycloartenol (plants

Steroids are quite diverse and include the sterols (such as cholesterol ) of vertebrates , bile acids from the liver , all sex hormones , adrenal cortical hormones (corticosteroids , toad poisons , and products of the digitalis plant used to treat heart disease . Hormonal steroids are synthesized from cholesterol in the body . The biosynthetic mechanisms are similar in all steroid-secreting tissue (adrenal cortex , testis , ovary , and placenta

Hormonal steroids are synthesized from cholesterol in the body it is essential to investigate what hormones are before introducing the of this : today 's uses of steroids

Hormones are chemical messengers that go from one cell or cellular group to another . Although hormones are produced almost by every organ system and tissue type in any animal body the well known animal hormones are produced by the endocrine glands of vertebrate . These are synthesized and secreted by the ductless glands of the endocrine systems in humans and animals . The hormone messengers are transported by the circulatory system to the target tissues where receptors interact with the messengers to cause the desired biological effect . The following quote describes the transportation of hormone molecules

However , not all hormones are transported some produce localized (paracrine ) effect such as the hormones in the gastrointestinal tract . The function of hormones is to regulate the response of the body to the external and internal stimuli the homeostasis , as well as controlling tissue development morphogenesis , and reproduction

However , it is not limited to these functions only

Hormone effects vary widely , but can include stimulation or inhibition of growth , induction or suppression of apoptosis (programmed cell death , activation or inhibition of the immune system , regulating...